So I just received this email about a commentary Ben Stein made about Christmas, here was my response!First off, go to this link so you can see what Ben Stein actually said, and what was added later:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/confessions.aspIt is pretty interesting. I don't agree with a good portion of it as it is written but he's got a point. I do believe that lack of spiritual faith in a country can damage that countries people and that people shouldn't be scared to discuss their spirituality. What I DO disagree with is discussing ONLY the Christian or Jewish God in schools and the like. I don't want the teachers that I will be sending my kids to to fill their heads with a single version of God. There's a reason Church and State are separated. Besides, Canada doesn't teach religion in schools and we don't have nearly the kinds of problems that America does. Their(and some of our) problems aren't strictly created from their one God not being taught in school. Anyone remember the Burning Times(The Witch Trials), The Holocaust in WW II, The Armenian Genocide? These things and things like them happened because people thought that their one God should be taught and believed and that all others were wrong. So yes, please pass this on, don't be afraid to discuss the Divine in whatever form you see it. But please don't think that suddenly allowing Christian/Jewish prayer into schools and the like is going to suddenly fix all of a countries problems. If you're going to teach children about God I think it's the parents that should be doing it, not a school. The schools don't have nearly enough time to teach the entire spectrum of Spirituality and Religions. And who are we to decide which Faith's get included in the "course"? Just look at what happened down in the South of the Untied States with the Intelligent Design Theory, go check it out at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_DistrictI bet you any amount of money that if any faith besides the Big Five(Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) wanted to be included in school they would be denied vehemently. Take my faith for example, being the "dirty old Pagan" that I am, there are still places in the United States where I would lose my children, my job, and possibly my freedom if I openly practised and tried to teach it to my children(see some links below).
http://3-116thsniper.blogspot.com/2007/04/wiccan-symbol-ok-for-soldiers-graves.htmlhttp://www.squidoo.com/neopaganAnyways, I think I've ranted enough about this, I guess I'm feeling vocal today! Haha! As I said, please do pass it on. Don't be afraid to call your tree a CHRISTMAS TREE not a HOLIDAY TREE, or to say Merry Christmas to someone.
I hope everyone had a great holiday and has a great New Year!
*hugs and smooches*
Ang
I can only hope we find God again before it is too late!!
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a Nativity Scene, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says "Thou Shalt not Kill, thou Shalt not Steal", and "Love your Neighbor as Yourself." And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards,
Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
